By Prensa Latina
Beijing : China and Brazil will launch in September a jointly developed third earth resources satellite, equipped with high resolution cameras for agricultural, mining and environmental use.
According to China National Space Administration, the Satellite 02B, of Brazilian manufacture, will orbit the earth in September or October 2008.
The takeoff will take place in a launching centre in Taiyuan, capital of the northern Chinese province of Shanxi.
National Space Administration director Sun Laiyuan has affirmed that Satellite 02B underwent a series of tests at the Brazilian National Space Research Institute (INPE) and it is ready now.
China and Brazil have cooperated in space projects for 19 years. Satellites 01 and 02 jointly developed by the two countries were launched in 1999 and 2003 respectively.
Since then, both have been transmitting more of a million images that have been of good use to study the earth's surface and to prevent natural disasters and epidemics.
China and Brazil have also agreed to develop satellite 03 and 04 and launch satellite 03 in 2009.
These other two will be used to gather information on the earth's environment, agriculture and urban development planning as well as water pollution.